Political yard signs in Oakland County are regulated jointly by the host municipality and the state. MDOT prohibits political signs within state highway right-of-way (I-75, I-696, M-1 Woodward, M-59, US-24 Telegraph), requires signs to be more than 30 feet from the edge of the roadway on highways without barrier curbs, and requires removal within 10 days after the election. Cities like Troy allow temporary signs (including political signs) on private property up to 6 sq ft each / 14 sq ft total per lot and no higher than 42 inches.
Following the U.S. Supreme Court's 2015 Reed v. Town of Gilbert decision and Michigan election law, sign ordinances cannot single out 'political' signs for size, duration, or count caps without satisfying strict scrutiny. Most Oakland County cities have rewritten their ordinances to apply uniform 'temporary sign' rules regardless of message content. Troy Sign Code §85.03.02 — the post-ACLU consent ordinance — provides: 'Signs are allowed on private property, with the property owner's permission. Signs cannot be placed within the public right of way, or between the public sidewalk and the road. The total combined area of all temporary signs on any one property shall not exceed 14 square feet. No temporary sign shall exceed 6 square feet in area. No sign can be higher than 42 inches. If there is no sidewalk, place signs at least 20 feet from the edge of the traveled portion of the roadway.' MDOT's statewide rule (under the Highway Advertising Act, MCL 252.301 et seq.) prohibits placement in the right-of-way of state highways, with removal required within 10 days post-election; violators' signs are removed by MDOT without notice. Local PD will remove signs on city streets; the Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) removes signs in county-road right-of-way.
Signs in public right-of-way are removed without notice by MDOT (state highways), RCOC (county roads), or city DPW (local streets). Repeated violations of city sign ordinances are typically civil infractions with fines of $50–$250 per sign. Signs placed within 100 feet of a polling place on Election Day violate MCL 168.744 — a misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine. Signs that obstruct sight triangles at intersections are a separate traffic-safety violation.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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